Friday, 17 July 2015

HOW DO YOU KNOW IT'S TIME TO GO? (RUNNING AWAY FROM A HORRIBLE JOB IT'S ALWAYS AN OPTION)

I dreaded my first full-time job. I
hated it with passion that I never before realized I have in me.
Every day (not even every Monday) I woke up to the most horrible
dilemma: should I get out of bed and get to work or should I call in
and tell my boss that I am sick. I just constantly wanted to run
somewhere far, far away.

The running away option sounded
absolutely amazing.

Yet, thinking that I should be a
responsible adult, I managed to get there on time, faking a smile and
getting things done for 8 - 10 hours per day. Also, I got into a
habit of drinking absurd amounts of coffee every day, just to keep
going.

I actually really liked the job
itself – getting back to customers, checking documents, making sure
that everything is OK... Working with my team was great. I loved
people I worked with, that was hands on the best team I ever had. We
all started together at the same time and it was a perfect match.
Everyone felt comfortable around each other.

People were the only reason that I
stayed there for such a long time.

What was wrong then?

In short: it was all about the
company. They loved their overtime. Targets were not logical and they
didn't have anything to do with what was in employee's control.
Management had no idea what people in their teams are doing and how
are they supposed to do it. Harassment was considered a tactic to
motivate people. The pressure was unbearable...and then they
started firing people.

What happened to my rubbish job?

One day, after they announced
another meaningless policy and set targets (that no one was ever
meeting in the first place) even higher, something clicked in me. I
booked a long holiday leave, left town, had fun, ate amazing food,
went on long walks and I quit the first day I got back. I couldn't
stand the stress, the awful feeling I had when I got ready before
work. I figured that this is not the only company in the world and I
don't really care about what I will be doing, as long as I do it for
someone that respects me as a person (and I thought that if I feel so
strongly about it, it will be just healthier for me to leave).

Some time passed, I had many jobs,
from sales person to a coach and recruiter and right now I am trying
to get my own company going. I am starting this blog because I think
that there are plenty of other people with career problems and
emergencies and sharing stories and solutions is just the right thing
to do.

In here I will try to write about my
take on different things that I saw as an employee/friend/coach
through the years. If it helps someone else – great. If it doesn't
– I hope that it will be a good read!

Also, this post is not a about rage
quitting and burning bridges – this is about learning when to say
'no' and not staying where you should never be in the first place. If
your workplace is clearly toxic, you hate being to the point that
your body hurts and you are afraid of what the day will bring – you
need to go, quit and run away as soon as possible. Your health and
well being is not worth it.

It turned out really well for me
- my next job was amazing (I still keep in touch with some people
from the office, even though I don't work there for quite some time
now) and I never regretted my decision to find something new. I kinda
wish I made my decision sooner though... Maybe I wouldn't get so
hooked on coffee as I am now. If you are in a similar situation - I
really hope that everything will be ok and that you will find
something better. Because believe me, you can.